Self-Publishing News: 10.31.2016

And now for the news!

This week in the world of self-publishing:

Just a quick reminder: It’s NaNoWriMo time! As we mentioned last week, you’ll be seeing the buzz over this annual tradition–National Novel Writing Month–begin to cascade through your literary networks, then build to a crescendo over the month of November. We’ll be following its progress–and your progress–here on Self Publishing Advisor, in hopes that we can provide yet another resource to assist you in reaching your writing goals, even if they have nothing at all to do with NaNoWriMo itself and the nonprofit organization which has brought it to such international acclaim. After all, the same tips and tricks which help NaNoWriMo participants are the same tips and tricks that all authors need to brush up on every now and again!

I’ll give you a hint: the answer is YES! and Care2‘s Zoe Eisenberg is all about showing you how to make good on that jubilant answer in her October 28th article. She speeds through a quick bit of history (“Since 1999, over 2 million writers have participated in NaNoWriMo, with an average of 15 percent hitting their goal of completing the first draft of a novel in the allotted month.”) and then plunges into the really important nitty-gritty bits, the bits that might keep you going through NaNoWriMo or any other lengthy writing spree. She interviewed NaNoWriMo’s Executive Director, Grant Faulkner, who says “The number one reason people think they can’t do NaNoWriMo is because they’re too busy […] Everyone says that. We’re all busy. But part of that is reality and part is perception. A lot of people want to write a novel, but it’s hard to get it into the number one spot on your to-do list.” Ain’t that the truth? And for self-publishing authors, self-starting on writing is just the first in many steps to making it from Point A to Point Z. But Faulkner’s tips, coming to us via Eisenberg, might just help overcome that first hurdle: they run the gamut from “Scan your schedule,” to “Plan for lapses,” and all of them circle back to the larger point that prioritizing and time management are an author’s greatest obstacles. For more of Faulkner’s fine points (and Eisenberg’s excellent reporting), follow the link!

Did you ever think you’d be getting serious writing advice from Bustle? I sure didn’t—but I’m very, very glad to have stumbled across this excellent October 24th piece by Bustle contributor Stephanie Topacio Long. Says Long, “The countdown to National Novel Writing Month is now down to single digits”—or in our case, less than twenty-four hours—”so it’s understandable if your excitement or anxiety about the annual writing challenge is off the charts already. Luckily, there’s still time for last-minute NaNoWriMo prep. Taking certain steps in the lead-up to November could make for a more successful month of writing.” While we’ve written about this subject here on Self-Publishing Advisor before, it’s always good to hear affirmation (and perhaps, receive more fleshed-out advice) from other writers whom we admire. Like Faulkner and Eisenberg, Long emphasizes the importance of preparatory tips like setting a schedule and establishing a support system (my personal favorite), but she goes a bit further in pushing for authors to get pumped up for the days to come. (And her well-selected gifs to illustrate each point definitely don’t hurt her argument.) As Long says, “Get psyched for NaNoWriMo now. Win or lose, the experience will be valuable for you. You’ll either come out the other side with the first draft of a novel (fingers crossed!), or you’ll learn a host of valuable lessons.” Hear, hear, Ms. Long! For the rest of her fabulous piece, click here.

Look, everybody needs a little humor headed into a long hard project, right? And right at the perfect moment, along comes Adam Forsgren with this glorious October 29th article for East Idaho News! “This will be my sixth year participating in NaNoWriMo, and over the years, I’ve noticed that the whole experience can be broken into different stages of dealing with the ‘burden’ of writing a 50,000 word narrative in 30 days,” he begins: “Think of it kind of like the stages of dealing with death, only with more caffeine and less crushing despondency.” First off, I’d like to take all of our collective hats off to Forsgren. SIX years of NaNoWriMo? That’s incredible. Secondly, he’s in a privileged place to deliver to us his theory of the 5 Phases of Dealing With NaNoWriMo:

“Total Stokage” (AKA enthusiasm)

“The Weight Hits” (oh no)

“The Drag” (it doesn’t get worse than this, does it?)

“The Despondency” (oh … it does ….)

“The Glorious Morning!!”

As you might have guessed from the double exclamation point, Forsgren is a huge advocate for sticking it out through thick and thin to finish your writing projects (“It feels like I’ve actually accomplished something. It’s as close as I’ll ever get to fatherhood. And what’s crazy is that once you feel that feeling, you can’t wait to do it all over again.”) and he’s incredibly persuasive. If you needed the combination of realism (he does face up to the incredible challenges this project entails) and a powerful pep talk, this is the article for you. Read the full thing online at EastIdahoNews.com!

As a self-publishing author, you may find it helpful to stay up-to-date on the trends and news related to the self-publishing industry. This will help you make informed decisions before, during and after the self-publishing process, which will lead to a greater self-publishing experience. To help you stay current on self-publishing topics, simply visit our blog every Monday to find out the hottest news. If you have other big news to share, please comment below.

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Executive Vice President of Outskirts Press. In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog, kellyschuknecht.com.